The following is an excerpt from PAUL A. MERRIMAN | July 14, 2017 | Marketwatch.com |

For the past 40 years I have been a big fan of John Bogle (he prefers to be called Jack), and this spring I finally got to meet him in person.

Bogle, as you probably know, is the inventor of the retail index fund as we know it, and founder and former chairman (now retired) of The Vanguard Group, the world’s largest provider of mutual funds.

I spoke to Bogle many times when I had a radio show and he was a guest. Meeting him face-to-face for the first time was one of the thrills of my career.

When I walked into Bogle’s office, the first thing that struck me was his big welcoming smile. He could not have been more gracious.

His office is fairly large, with evidence of numerous projects he’s working on. It’s a fun place, with many stuffed animals scattered around. And (perhaps reflecting his Princeton education) he has lots of books everywhere.

Dressed in casual attire wearing a green sweater, Bogle immediately impressed me with his strong desire to help individual investors — a passion that I share. He was interested in the things I am trying to accomplish and was amazingly easy to talk with.

As I was visiting with Bogle, I couldn’t help noticing that the people who work around him seem to really love him. He treated them with kindness, and regularly eats lunch in the company cafeteria with anybody who wishes to join him.

A true man of the people.

I doubt there is anybody whose work has helped more investors, with his focus on passive investing and rock-bottom costs. Yet when I meet investors across the country, I am often surprised by how many people don’t recognize John Bogle’s name.

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